Thoori: The Rise and Fall of Ra
by Alydia Rackham
Summary: This is the story of the host body of Supreme System Lord, Ra-the curiosity that doomed him, the oppression that shaped him, and the deals he made with the devil to protect the woman he loved.
1. Diamond in the Rough

**Thoori**

The

Tragic Tale of the Host Body of Gou'auld System Lord Ra

Chapter One

Diamond in the Rough

The heat rolled in waves across the white stones. The air was filled with the ripple of the waters, the rustle of the breeze through the reeds, and the soft cries of the distant cranes. A gangly, bronzed young man, bare except for a loincloth, lay on his back on the largest rock on the shore. His long fingers twined through his wet, curly, raven hair, his head pillowed in his palms. His chest, glistening with water, rose and fell slowly in a deep, contented sigh and his delicate lips curved upward at the warmth of the sun against his eyelids, cheeks, and body, drying his skin.

A pebble clicked behind him. The young man's smile tightened as he tried to suppress it, and he kept his eyes closed. He listened intently.

He could almost see the shapely bare feet tiptoeing toward him over the shore. He heard the skirt of the hand-woven dress flapping softly against strong legs. He envisioned the winsome figure kneeling down by the water's edge, graceful fingers dipping into the sparkling liquid.

He sprang up. His eyes fixed on the young woman, poised to splash water all over him. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. She barely managed to yelp before he darted forward, grasped the offending hand and pulled her to her feet. She shrieked as he whirled her around, pinning her arms behind her back. He pressed his face into her long black hair and said snidely:

"You know you can never sneak up on me, Shau'ri."

She shoved back against him and he released her, laughing.

"Thoori!" she scolded, swiping a strand of hair out of her eyes. "I could call my brothers!"

"To do what?"

"To beat you soundly!" she threatened.

"And _you_ know that none of them could ever catch me," he smirked. He paused, watching the light dance off the water and sparkle on her skin. She had a lovely, smooth face with a perfect nose, expressive eyebrows, lips like flower petals and startlingly blue eyes. Thoori had heard many people mention, when Shau'ri was not present, that it was too bad she had "weak" eyes, instead of the black eyes usual to the other Nile people. But Thoori found her eyes fascinating, like chips of the afternoon sky.

"What is it?" she wondered, self-consciously shifting her weight. Thoori blinked.

"I was just imagining being beaten by your brothers," he lied as he stepped back up onto his rock. "I think, if they had an excuse, they would kill me."

"If the sun didn't kill you first," Shau'ri commented, joining him up on the rock.

"What?" Thoori said indignantly, shading his eyes and peering upward.

"You lie out here like a fish being dried," Shau'ri laughed. "You have ever since I've known you."

"The sun is my friend. It makes me strong. You know that, don't you?" Thoori arched an eyebrow at her, grinning wickedly. "You just wanted to look at my muscles."

"No!" Shau'ri retorted emphatically. "I wanted to listen to you sizzling like my mother's meat in a pan!" She shoved him with unexpected force, and he lost his balance. He toppled into the water, splashing spectacularly. Gasping, he surfaced and tossed his soaking hair out of his face. He met Shau'ri's eyes and smiled. Her laughter vanished.

"Thoori---! I know that look!" She shook her finger at him in warning. "Don't you

_dare---"_

But it was too late. He leaped up and grabbed her by the arms, then just fell backward, taking her with him into the water. She screamed until they struck the water. The cool current rushed all around his head, but he did not let go of Shau'ri. After an instant of struggle, he pulled her to the surface, both of them sputtering.

"Thoori, you are impossible!" she shoved both hands against his chest, a curtain of dripping hair covering her face. He covered his mouth with his hand, his shoulders shaking, as she flung her hair out of her face and glowered at him. He snorted with the effort of restraining his chortling.

"Forget my brothers!" she declared, sloshing toward him. "I'll kill you my---"

She slipped. She pitched downward. Thoori reacted. He lunged forward and caught her under the arms, though his own feet slid dangerously through the slithering stones. Her hands snatched at his shoulders instinctively and she clung to him. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Suddenly, nothing was funny. She stopped fighting and just stood there, their eyes locked, the water flowing around their waists. Thoori's heart stopped, then began pounding. His brow furrowed intensely. Her lips parted as if to speak, but she said nothing. Thoori swallowed.

Shau'ri giggled, her face flushing, and she gently extracted herself from his arms.

"I thought you were going to let me fall," she confessed, trying in vain to straighten her chaotic hair.

"I would always catch you," he said fervently. She looked at him, startled, and her brow tightened. He instantly shrugged, looking away.

"Just to give you a fair chance at _trying _to beat me back to the village."

Her eyes flashed at the challenge.

"I always win."

"I always let you," he shot back. She bared her teeth playfully at him, then leaped toward the shore, splashing wildly. Her feet struck the dry rocks and she took off. Grinning, Thoori chased after.

They pelted down the narrow path through the reeds, following it as it wound through the willowy trees, the fern leaves slapping their legs. Shau'ri let out a ringing laugh and Thoori increased his pace, right on her heels. They climbed a hill and slipped and slid down the other side, kicking up a cloud of dust.

They descended to the outskirts of the encampment, dashing past several white-canvas tents and wooden huts, and dodging ropes and stakes. Their afore-wet feet were now dirty, as were their clothes. Shau'ri skidded to a halt at the entrance of the tallest, grandest tent and whirled on him, panting but grinning triumphantly.

"You were running as fast as you could, I know it," she pointed at him. "You did _not_ let me win."

Thoori was not breathing as hard, and he folded his arms over his chest. He stepped toward her and leaned down until his forehead almost touched hers. She glared back at him with teasing defiance.

"Think what you like," he said. "But you're just lucky that I…" He stopped. He straightened and turned, his arms falling to his sides.

Althar stood there. He was a very tall man with a graying beard that hung down to his belt. He wore long robes and a turban, and his face was like leather. His eyes, like bits of obsidian, saw everything. He was the chief of the tribe. He was also Shau'ri's father.

Athar clasped his hands behind his back.

"Shau'ri," he said quietly. "Go clean up. Your mother was expecting you much sooner. She needs help with the meal."

Shau'ri, instantly meek, nodded and wordlessly entered the tent. Athar turned his eyes to Thoori. Thoori's throat tightened.

"Thoori, I want to speak with you. Come walk with me."

Thoori, ignoring how dirty he was, straightened and came to stride beside the chieftain. Thoori could feel the eyes of other tribesmen following them from the doors of other tents and huts, but he ignored them also. Athar did not speak until they had moved past the last tent.

"Thoori," he began, his voice deep and quiet as distant thunder. "I want you to know how glad I am that you came to us when you were a boy. When the tribe of our brothers was slaughtered, having you, a remnant of them among us, was a great comfort."

Thoori studied the horizon and stepped slowly, weighing Athar's words.

"We have been happy to treat you as a son of the tribe, and you cannot complain of your treatment. The only distinction we have made between you and our sons is that you will receive no inheritance, as this is a tribe that is not your own."

Thoori ducked his head briefly, but this was an old wound and barely panged now. He said nothing.

"But at this point, I can see that another distinction must be made."

Athar stopped and faced Thoori. Thoori also halted, and reluctantly faced the chieftain. Athar's tones lowered.

"You and Shau'ri have been friends since the day you arrived. She has had no closer companion, and neither have you. And that was good for you, as children."

Thoori felt a chill run down his back. He watched Athar's wizened face carefully.

"But you are a young man now," Athar stated. "And Shau'ri is a young woman. A woman fit to be married. But she has rejected every man who has tried to arrange anything with me, and I was not about to force her---I just wondered why. Now I believe I know."

Thoori fought to keep his breath from shivering. His jaw locked. Athar sighed.

"She favors you. But as her father, and as the chief, I cannot allow that. You live here under our hospitality, but you have nothing of your own, and no way to support her, and no inheritance to give your sons. You are very intelligent, Thoori, and I know you see this. I must ask you to stay away from her as much as possible. And if you must speak to her, I know that you will encourage her to marry either Jesphet or Hathtet, both able, strong young men. She would make a good second wife for either of them. I am certain you want what is best for her."

Thoori tried not to choke, and succeeded. But his eyes stung. He gazed steadily into Athar's eyes, unflinching. He clasped his own hands behind his back, and nodded once.

"I am pleased you understand." Athar put a hand briefly on Thoori's shoulder, then turned and started back to the camp.

Thoori's breathing came painfully, and he stood there until the light faded from the sky. Twilight had fallen before he made his way to the small wood-and-thatch hut apace removed from the others---close enough to hear the laughing and music, but far enough that no one could invite him in.

VVV

Thoori absently clucked to his three little falcons, tied with bits of leather to a carefully carved stand. They watched him keenly as he moved about the hut, kicking at the threadbare rug. He sat down next to his birds and stroked them, and they pecked at him affectionately, chirping. Next to Shau'ri, these three birds, Ithit, Baret and Razeth, were his world. They hunted for him, as he was not allowed to hunt with the other men, and they gave him someone to talk to during those long nights when he could not sleep. He always seemed to sleep better in the day---the day was filled with comforting sound and warmth. The night was deep, dark and secretive---and lonely. He told his birds everything; all about Shau'ri, and what they had done together that day, and what he planned to become when the tribe finally realized that he was a worthy man.

Tears once again stung his eyes, but he swiped them away. The tribe would never recognize him as a worthy man. Athar was making certain of that. And if the tribe and Athar had their way, Shau'ri would marry Jesphet or Hathtet and have seven sons, and Thoori would fade into obscurity, minding his own business his whole life, and die with as little inconvenience as possible.

Thoori threw himself onto his back and covered his face with his hands, listening to his three pieces of pottery clink together as they swung on bits of twine from the doorway. Ithit clucked soothingly, and the other two made wisely-comforting noises, as if to say "_You are always _our _chief, my friend."_

"I know," Thoori whispered. "Do you think you could arrange a marriage for me?"

None of the falcons answered. He grunted and squeezed his eyes shut against the gathering dark.

"I thought not."

VVV

The next morning, Thoori left. He had duties leather-working and cleaning fish, but he paid them no mind. Strapping on his only pair of sandals and throwing on a tunic, he trotted up the mountain and disappeared for the whole day.

He only did this once in a while, for it was frowned upon, but he told himself he was doing what Athar had commanded: staying away from Shau'ri. Because in truth, he knew there was no way on earth he would be able to tell her to marry either of the brutish wife-beaters Athar had named.

He sat on a cliff, soaking up the rays of the golden sun, watching the broad, shining Nile river wind its patient way through the valley. It was only at mid afternoon that he finally felt the pangs of hunger and got to his feet, deciding to head back to the camp.

But when he reached the outskirts, he knew something was wrong. He stopped, his sharp eyes darting back and forth. Then he realized it: there were too many people outside for this time of day. It was summer, and the heat was blistering---thus, most of the tribe spent afternoons inside their homes, or by the water in the shade. Instead, the three-hundred some tribespeople were standing in the lanes, chatting and gesturing animatedly. And they were holding things. Thoori squinted to see them better.

They held rich cloths, strings of beads, idols of gold and silver, weapons, jars of incense, and many other valuable items. Traders must have come through while he was away. But his sense of foreboding persisted. Frowning, he cautiously made his way down the hill, listening to the clamor, and ducked inside his hut.

He froze. His birds were gone.

Panicked, he leaped further inside, calling their names, looking behind the wooden box that held all his belongings. Pain racing up and down inside his chest, he went back to the stand, his mind flying---to see that the leather straps had not broken, but had been cut with a knife. Terror overtook him. He clasped his head in his hands, his eyes wide.

"What's wrong, Thoori?" A deep voice issued from outside. Thoori stopped moving. He recognized the tones. They belonged to Jesphet.

"Are you missing something?" This voice was familiar too. It was Hathtet's. Thoori lowered his arms to his sides, and his hands closed into fists.

Slowly, he turned around and calmly strode out of his hut, his jaw set, his eyes cold, though his whole heart was in trauma.

The two brothers---Jesphet closer to the hut, as he was the eldest---stood there, arms folded over their chests. Jesphet was ten years older than Thoori, muscular and tall, and his face was carven and tough. He had heavy eyebrows, humorless eyes and hollow cheeks. Next to him, Hathtet sneered. Hathtet was much younger, and sleeker-looking, with a broader mouth and brighter, more alert eyes. Thoori had always hated them both.

"What are you doing out here?" Thoori wondered, following their example and folding his arms. He knew he did not intimidate them---he was a good head shorter than both of them, and though strong, was slightly built. The brothers glanced at each other incredulously.

"What? We cannot pay a visit to another tribesman?"

"Don't play with me," Thoori warned. "What did you do with my birds?"

"What birds?" Hathtet wondered innocently. Thoori did not answer. His eyes just narrowed. Jesphet chuckled. Thoori's rage flared.

"How dare you?" he snarled. "How dare you come into my hut---"

"_Your _hut?" Jesphet cut in, narrowing his eyes. "_Nothing _belongs to you. Only that which we give you."

"You did _not_ give me those birds," Thoori reminded him. "What did you do with them?"

"We sold them," Hathtet said flippantly. "To the traders. To buy something for Shau'ri."

Thoori almost staggered.

"Sold---?" His voice broke.

"We thought you would appreciate it," Jesphet said with sincerity and calmness. "We heard about what Athar said to you, and of course we agree---but Shau'ri deserves something fine to wear, and you could never afford to get her something otherwise. Consider this to be a wedding gift from you."

Thoori stared, going pale.

"Yes, you heard correctly," Jesphet nodded. "Her father has agreed that she should marry me."

Thoori's vision blurred scarlet as agony and fury tore through his chest---and with a sudden surge of strength, he threw himself at Jesphet.

Thoori caught him around the collar of his robe, aiming to fling him down the hill. But Jesphet managed to brace himself and clamped down hard on Thoori's thin wrists with his own iron hands.

Something flashed. A fist cracked against the side of Thoori's face. Pain blasted through his skull and he tumbled backward. He would have hit the ground, but Jesphet caught him by the upper arm, squeezing down hard and then flinging him sideways.

Thoori slammed into the earth and rolled, sand stinging his skin. He fought to stand, his head whirling, but before he could, someone took a fistful of his hair and yanked him up. He yelped, his eyes watering, and he clawed at the hand, which he suddenly saw belonged to Hathtet. Hathtet grinned, then slapped Thoori across the face with wicked force. Thoori's vision flickered. He tasted blood in his mouth.

Hathtet jerked him, afflicting his neck with whiplash, then threw him down. Choking, Thoori lay there shivering, his shaking hands groping through the dust. The brothers' laughter slurred through his head, and he thought he sensed them walk away, but he could not be sure. He just closed his eyes and laid his forehead on his arm, blood dripping down his lips.

VVV

The sun was setting when Shau'ri found him. He did not have the energy to evade her. He sat on his rock by the Nile, his arms resting on his knees, gazing blankly at the water. He heard her careful footsteps approaching, but did not turn his head.

"Thoori?" she asked quietly. "Thoori, where have you been all day?"

Thoori did not answer, or turn his head. She came up on the rock and settled down on his left, her shoulder brushing his. For a long while, neither of them spoke. He sensed her lower her head.

"I heard what they did to your beautiful birds," she murmured. Thoori swallowed hard, but said nothing.

"That was wrong of them. And I don't care what Father says---I am not marrying either of those beasts."

Thoori looked at her. She gazed back at him sincerely for an instant, then her expression filled with shock. She reached out and gently took his face in her hands.

"Thoori!" she cried. "What happened?"

He fought them, but tears escaped his control, ran down his bruised cheek and across her fingers. Her eyes brightened with indignation as her fingertips traced his split lip and his swollen right eye.

"They hit you?" she gasped, her voice trembling. He swallowed again and glanced down, filling with shame. His jaw tightened. She did not release him, but made him look up again at her.

"Do not be embarrassed about that," she said firmly. "They are both half again older than you, and there were two of them. That is never fair."

Thoori reached up and took her hands down from his face, but held onto them. Her fingers curled around his. She leaned toward him, waiting for him to speak. He studied their entwined fingers for a long time.

"I am leaving in the morning, Shau'ri."

Her hands tightened.

"What?"

"I must. Your father said so."

"He told you to leave?" she cried. He shook his head.

"No. But he told me to stay away from you---and how can I possibly do that if you are always so close?" He looked up and met her sky-blue eyes. "I don't have the strength to do that. And I would only disgrace you. That's the last thing I want."

"You would never disgrace me," she insisted, tears of her own brimming.

"I already am."

Neither said anything for a long time. The only sound was the steady river murmuring past, and the chirping of the evening birds. They were both looking at their hands when Shau'ri spoke quietly again.

"Where will you go?"

Thoori shrugged.

"I might follow the traders and try to convince them that Ithit, Baret and Razeth were stolen, and to give them back to me."

"They won't believe you," Shau'ri murmured. "You know that."

Thoori's heart sank further at hearing that truth spoken aloud.

"I know."

She paused, running her thumb across his. Then she lifted her head.

"Then you'll need this." She let go of his hands and reached up to the back of her neck. Thoori frowned, watching her. She unlatched a chain that hung down beneath the front of her dress. She pulled the necklace up and away from her, and let the pendant dangle in front of him. The chain was gold, as was the circular pendant. Thoori took the pendant in his hand and studied it. It had a decorative eye imprinted on it---an eye that seemed to look back at him.

"This is what Jesphet and Hathtet traded your falcons for," she whispered. Thoori let go of it.

"Why would I want _that?"_ he demanded.

"To give to the traders in exchange for your birds," she explained. "It is very valuable. The traders said the eye represented the sun, watching over you."

Thoori stared at it with mixed feelings.

"Please take it, Thoori, if you're really leaving." Shau'ri's voice sounded weak. "And think of me instead of those terrible brothers."

Thoori gazed into her saddened eyes for a long moment. Finally, he nodded. She lifted the necklace and fastened it around his neck. The pendant bumped his breastbone. Then, instead of withdrawing, Shau'ri leaned in, wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face into his neck. Stricken, Thoori wrapped her up tightly, and the two just sat there as the light faded from the sky.

"Don't let anyone see you with that," she finally warned breathlessly.

"I won't."

She pressed a kiss to the side of his face.

"Goodbye, Thoori."

And suddenly, her warmth left him, she stood and fled back toward the village, leaving his cheek wet with her tears.

VVV

Thoori lay in the dark of his tent, the chain wrapped around his wrist, the pendant resting in the palm of his hand. He had never realized how quiet it could be without the subtle rustling of his birds' feathers. An ache pulsed through him, strong and deep, and it tightened his breathing. There was no way he could sleep.

He was planning to leave the following dawn, without taking leave of anyone. Why would they care? But what he did not know was what would happen after that. He owned nothing but a tunic, cloak, three small jars and a pair of sandals. For necessities other than that, he had always been dependant on the chieftain's family. He knew that he had very little chance of living past four days out on his own. He rolled over onto his back, his breathing shuddering. He was probably going to die. He was afraid of that. But he was also afraid of living in a world where he was so utterly powerless.

The earth gave a small shiver. He frowned, but did not move. The shivering continued, so subtle that someone sleeping would not be awakened by it. Slowly, he sat up, then crept forward and gazed out the front of his hut.

It was very dark---but not as dark as it ought to have been. He lay down again, on his side, listening.

The shivering increased. And then a deep, distant rumble reached his ears. His throat tightened.

A light appeared high in the sky---a bright, white one. It came closer, like a falling star. His heartbeat sped up. The light grew blinding, and the earth was shaking violently now. The wind kicked up, and dust blew through the air.

He heard the tribesmen awaken, calling out to each other, crying out in dismay and confusion. Thoori sat up, never taking his eyes from the light. The next moment, he could distinguish a shape: the falling star looked like a triangular-shaped block, and from it issued a deep and penetrating roar.

It rapidly drew closer, and with widening eyes Thoori beheld how massive it was. It was taller than any mountain he had seen, made of what looked like black stone shot through with lightning. It descended on the outskirts of the encampment like the foot of a giant, blasting the dust away from itself like a storm wind off the sea.

It slowed drastically, and as the tribesmen screamed in terror and fled toward the river, it touched down, sending a ripple through the ground.

Thoori got to his feet. He could feel the dirt trembling beneath him. His forehead creasing intently, he stepped outside, shielding his face from the fierce wind with his hand, and started toward the towering pyramid.

A voice in the back of his head cautioned him, but it was not as strong as what drew him forward. His heart thundered. He bit down. He was not a coward, too afraid to go discern what this was. If it was a gift from heaven, he would be the richer and wiser. If it was a curse that brought swift and brutal death---then the alternative was leaving the tribe at dawn for the desert and dying in four days. Thoori set his jaw and walked faster. Better death now than then.


	2. The Voice in My Head

Chapter Two

The Voice In My Head

The pyramid seemed to scrape the sky, and Thoori had to squint hard to keep its light from dazzling him. Wind blew sand against his legs and arms as he ventured closer. The glow was overpowering, and Thoori almost could not see the overhang looming above him. The very air was vibrating, sending its pulse through his bones.

Something above him _clanged_. He jerked. A door opened far over his head, and even brighter light shot down on him. His chest locked, and then for just an instant, he had only one thought.

_Run._

But he could not. That instant, several huge, iron rings descended on him, penning him in. Light sparkled and swam all around him, and his whole body tingled.

The iron rings fled upward, leaving him, and now everything was black and silent. He stood on cold, smooth stone. He clenched Shau'ri's pendant in his hand, breathing erratically, his gaze flying about vainly.

Another clang issued far in front of him, and a shaft of blue light illuminated a tall metal chair, sitting alone in an otherwise empty room, its back to him. Thoori did not move for several minutes. Finally, when nothing happened, he shuffled forward, eyes fixed on the chair.

The base of the chair began buzzing. Thoori jerked to a halt. Eerily, the chair slowly began to rotate of its own accord. Thoori shot a glance behind him, but quickly saw there was nothing there but complete darkness. He whirled back around as the chair clicked. His system thudded with adrenaline.

A creature sat in the chair. It had a head, arms, torso and legs like a man---but its neck was far too long, its skin gray and shriveled, it had no nose, and his eyes mere black slits. It had three long fingers and a thumb on each hand, and its whole body was extremely skinny. Thoori was paralyzed, terror and sickness twisting his gut.

The creature canted its head and its eyes widened slightly. It opened its mouth and gave a long, rattling sigh. Then, it lifted its right hand.

For just a moment, Thoori saw the glint of gold, and a strange light shining from a ruby in the creature's palm. Then the light flashed---and he remembered nothing else.

VVV

_Thoori? Can you hear me?_

Everything was sluggish---his mind, his body… He felt as if he was drifting in a dark fog, and his feet were not touching anything. He could not move forward or back no matter how hard he tried. The voice, strange, and inflected with a foreign accent, issued indistinctly from somewhere in front of him.

"_Thoori?"_

_"What?"_

He had not opened his mouth to speak---the response had merely been a reflexive thought. But it echoed through the space as surely as if he had said it aloud.

"_Oh, good. I have succeeded, then. It was difficult to find my way through this maze well enough to learn how to speak to you without damaging anything. If I take another wrong turn I may get lost."_

_"Who are you?"_Thoori demanded, stopping his struggling and searching the fog all around him. He saw nothing.

_"My name is Ra."_

_"Where are you?"_

_"Right here. With you."_

_"I cannot see you_," Thoori countered, bewildered as to why his mouth would not work. He squeezed his eyes shut and fought to unclamp his jaw. It felt as if it was made of marble.

"_Stop, stop," _Ra scolded lightly. "_You are making things hard for me. If I have to back-track to close your mouth again I may not find my way back here."_

Thoori slowly opened his eyes, feeling cold.

"_Close my mouth?"_

_"Yes. I control that, now. But in this state, neither of us can move very easily."_

_"You…control _what?"Thoori yelped, suddenly realizing he could not move his arms.

"_Your mouth. Or at least, I will."_

_"What?" _Thoori felt his heart hammer against his breastbone._ "How? Why?!"_

_"I cannot exist otherwise. I cannot see, hear, speak or move on my own without you."_

_"Where are you?"_Thoori demanded again.

"_I told you. I am with you."_

_"No, _where _are you?" _Thoori's patience was gone. He imagined the voice of Ra sighing.

"_I am in your head."_

Thoori's heart stopped.

"_In…"_

_"I have not hurt you," Ra assured him. "I am very grateful for you. My old host body was dying, and all efforts to revive him failed. I am still quite young, and have no desire to die. You saved my life." _

Thoori's gut clenched and his breaths shook.

_"What are you?"_

_"I am called a Gou'auld. I live among the stars, but I am foully made so that I must live my life through another's body rather than my own."_

_"And…you have to use mine?" _Thoori felt anger rising in his throat along with his terror.

_"I had no other choice. You came to me. I was quite amazed," _Ra told him. _"The other creatures with you scattered so quickly, I assumed you were vermin of some kind---and then there you were, walking straight toward me, and I knew I was wrong."_

_"I do not want you in my mind," _Thoori snapped. "_I want you to get out, and I want to be able to use my own mouth and arms again."_

_"You want me to die?" _Ra asked quietly. Thoori did not answer.

_"I need you, Thoori," _Ra said earnestly_. "And you need me."_

Thoori wanted to snort, but could not. He spoke his thoughts anyway.

_"What makes you think I need you?"_

_"The fact that you were walking toward my ship instead of running from it. All other beings I have met have fled for fear of their lives. The only reason you would come closer is if you had nothing to lose. Is that true?"_

Thoori did not answer.

"_It is true," _Ra concluded_. "But this is not what you deserve. You are intelligent, cunning and brave. And you are strong---incredibly strong. I have the power to bring you up from the dust, to lift you to esteem and glory and authority. I will give you all that, if you will just be my eyes, ears, mouth, hands and feet."_

_"I will not be a slave,"_ Thoori kept on.

"_You will not be. We will work together."_

Thoori was silent for a long time, his thoughts flying. He still could not move, but he felt an odd, distant pain in the back of his neck. He knew, in his bones, that this Ra was speaking the truth. He had somehow been possessed. But the fact that Ra was speaking to him offered him a thread of hope. He had no doubt that Ra could keep him prisoner if he wished, so if he negotiated with him instead of fighting him, perhaps…

_"I will be given back my own?"_

_"Sometimes, of course. I am not familiar with this body. You will have to teach me."_

Thoori fought back a wave of nausea.

"_Do not worry," Ra assured him. "Think of me as…a personal guide, and a secret weapon. Your… friend."_

Thoori, shivering, sat silent for a very long time, but he was so lost his thoughts only wandered helplessly. Then, when he tried, he could not nod. And so he spoke.

_"Fine."_

"_Aha! There it is. You shined a light right where I needed it," _Ra said---and then, Thoori opened his eyes.

VVV

His eyesight was perfectly clear. He lay on his back in a dimly lit, gray chamber. He blinked.

But he didn't.

He had given the unconscious command, but nothing had happened.

_Then _he blinked.

His head lifted. He wanted to swallow, but his throat did not move. He felt air move against his skin as his body sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the thin bed. Panic shot through his mind, but his physiology did not react.

His body rose to its feet even as Thoori commanded it to stay seated so he could figure where he was. His left foot slid forward on the cold surface---the _wrong _foot he would have chosen to take his first step. He _always _stepped forward with his right first. His terror was choking him---but he was breathing steadily and evenly.

His body moved clumsily, uncertainly, slightly hunched over, like a toddler afraid of falling. But his arms hung limply down at his sides, and would not catch him if he tripped.

It was in that instant that Thoori fully realized where _he, _Thoori,was. _Thoori_ was in a transparent box, the exact size of his being, and he could push his hands against its smooth, unyielding surface---and _Ra_ dominated all the other corridors, chambers and stairways of his body. He was trapped---a prisoner inside his own flesh.

Thoori screamed. The cry tore through the throat of his being, and he thrashed against his confines, beating it with his fists and feet, rattling and wrenching the silence of the space around him.

His body stopped moving.

"_Thoori, wait,"_ Ra sounded startled. "_I almost fell."_

Thoori did not stop. He bashed the invisible wall in front of him with all his force and knocked it back from him a finger's breadth.

"_Stop!"_ Ra commanded desperately.

"_No!" _Thoori wailed. "_You let me go!"_

"_Calm yourself," _Ra said soothingly. "_Here."_

Thoori staggered. He caught himself. Fresh air struck him. He gasped, then held his

breath. His lungs obeyed. He turned his head, and it followed his command. He covered his face with his hands, then ran his fingers through his hair. Shau'ri's pendant hit his temple. Shaking horribly, feeling like he was going to retch, he clasped it in both hands against his sweaty chest.

He was in control of his own body again. But Ra was there. He could feel him---a pressure in the back of his throat, a heaviness in his head, a presence looming over his soul.

"Ra?" he choked, his voice barely understandable.

"_I am here."_

"What happened?"

"_I gave you your own back, as you say," _was the answer. Thoori, still quivering, explored the back of his head with trembling fingertips, searching for the source of that dim pain. His fingers encountered warm liquid trickling down the back of his neck. His hand froze. Then he brought it back in front of him so he could see.

Blood shone on his skin. Blood from where that creature had entered his head.

His stomach rolled, but he could not be sick. The understanding of what had happened to him was too real.

His life was forfeit. Without thinking, he had tossed it away. When he had approached this mountain, he had bargained for death. Not this. This was worse.

His breathing now came in jagged, painful gasps, and he wrapped his arms around himself. He sank to his knees, waves of agony rolling over him, burning tears sliding down his face.

Then, suddenly, he felt a flash of bewilderment race through him---bewilderment that was not his. And it was followed by a deep, swelling rush of sympathy.

"_Thoori_," Ra sounded shaken. _"Thoori, you misunderstand me."_

Thoori could not draw breath. He dug his fingers into his hair and squeezed his eyes shut, sobs tearing him. There was a _voice_ in his head…a _powerful _voice he could not be rid of…

"_Thoori, please listen to me,"_ Ra urged, but his tones were sounding distant now. "_You must breathe. Take deeper breaths, Thoori, I am going to lose you---"_

Thoori's vision flickered. He felt the blood drain out of his face, and stinging ran up and down his back. Then, with a rasp and a moan, he collapsed, shivering, onto the floor and lost consciousness.

VVV

When Thoori came back to himself, his vision was blurred. He concentrated hard, and it cleared. He was walking very slowly down a dimly-lit, straight, gray hallway.

_"Oh. There you are."_

Thoori's mind jerked. His body did not respond. Throbbing thudded inside him, and his spirit sighed painfully.

His body---Ra---stopped walking. And heswallowed.

"_Are you…all right?"_ he asked hesitantly. Thoori, listless and dully aching, did not answer. Ra just stood for a long time, and neither of them said anything. Then, Thoori felt something akin to a smirk ripple through him.

_"I have been trying to walk while you were resting," _he said wryly. _"I had some…difficulties."_

He lifted Thoori's hands, and Thoori saw scrapes and bruises on his palms that had not been there before.

_"You never walked before?"_Thoori said blackly. The rippling smirk strengthened.

"_Not for seven or eight years, and not in a body like this." _He twisted Thoori's wrist where the gold chain was wrapped and fumbled for the pendant. His fingers were clumsy, but he caught it and held it closer. _"What is this?"_

"_Mine,_" Thoori answered shortly.

_"I have never seen this symbol_," Ra mused.

Thoori did not want to answer---he hated the idea of conversing with someone inside his own head, especially about Shau'ri's precious gift. But the question pressed him hard, even if Ra did not intend that, and so he replied.

_"It represents the sun, watching over the world." _A pang ran all through him, and Shau'ri's laugh rang inside his head.

_"What was that?"_Ra wondered quickly.

_"Nothing_," Thoori snapped, and clamped shut.

"_Very well,_" Ra said slowly, withdrawing slightly. Thoori's rage churned more violently, but he did not speak again. Ra turned him to his left, shuffling like an old man, until they were facing the opposite direction---another dim, square hall. He began to waddle forward now, the pendant clutched in both hands. Thoori's scorn at this weak posture would have risen in bitter bile in his throat, but of course it could not.

Ra slowed. He cocked Thoori's head unnaturally.

"_What?"_ he demanded. _"What is wrong?"_

"_The way you are walking in my body!" _Thoori burst out. "_I have never done anything to you, ever, and you are keeping me prisoner _inside myself_ for no reason! If all you wish to do is stagger through your mountain like an old man, I know several you could possess who would be perfect for you."_

_"Then _you_ show me the proper way of walking."_

_"Oh, you would love that, wouldn't you?" _Thoori scoffed. _"Why should I teach you?"_

_"Have you ever taught anyone anything?"_

Thoori stopped. Ra's quiet tones pierced him. No, he had not ever taught anyone anything. No one but Shau'ri had ever been willing to listen to him, and she was so intelligent she learned things for herself. If anything, _Shau'ri _taught _him_. And he had no younger brothers, and no children, and no other friends. Thoori wanted to grit his teeth hard.

_"You won't let me_," he said defiantly.

_"Of course I will. It was painful when I fell down. I want to be strong…purposeful."_

_"Then let me do the walking," _Thoori snapped.

_"I might."_

Thoori waited a moment, but nothing happened. He suddenly felt like an idiot for expecting some kind of change.

_"What is this?" _he demanded. 

_"Forgive me,"_ Ra said hurriedly. _"Old habits…My previous host and I had an arrangement that worked rather well, I believe. At least for the few hundred years he would hear me before he ignored me completely."_

Thoori's head spun, but Ra went on.

"_I will attempt to translate it, for his language was very different from yours, but…if one of us wishes to have control, he must simply say 'Please', and the other will say 'Go forward' and will withdraw. If the one in control is not ready to withdraw that instant, he will say 'Wait.' But if the other must say 'Please' three times before receiving control, that will be considered rude on the part of the one in control. Understand?"_

_"Please," _Thoori said firmly, instead of replying. A tingle of satisfaction came from Ra, and Thoori almost felt him nod.

_"Go forward._"

And the next second, Thoori was in command. And he ran.

He had no idea where he was going, but he laughed out loud when he felt Ra's fright. The natural sound, bouncing off the bare walls at his bidding, gave him a sudden surge of strangled joy. His legs and arms pumped in concert, his toughened feet flying over the cold floor, cool air blowing through his hair.

Admittedly, he had no idea where he was going. But the feeling of blood pumping through his muscles, his feet following the directions _he _gave them, thrilled him as running never had before. Tears ran down his face.

_"Careful---stairs,"_ Ra warned, just as Thoori leaped off the landing, sailed downward ten feet and hit the floor running. He bit the inside of his cheek hard, waiting for Ra to snatch control from him---for he could feel him tensing like a slingshot---but Ra said nothing, and Thoori kept up his relentless pace.

Thoori felt something sliding through his veins, but it was not painful or restrictive. It added strength, somehow---and so he skidded to a halt.

"What is that?" he said through his gasps. His voice echoed hollowly.

_"What is what?" _Ra wondered.

"That," Thoori stated angrily, his hand tightening around the pendant. "I feel it. There is something in my arms, my legs. What is it?"

_"I am…learning. You are teaching."_

Thoori just stood there, listening to his ragged breathing. Bitter tears threatened him again. He covered his face with his hand, squeezing his eyes shut.

_"Thoori, please,_" Ra said softly. "_I am trying."_

Thoori felt that sickening wave of nausea, and he feared he might faint again. But he could not help it---his wound was seeping blood again and Ra was heavy in his skull. Ra seemed to be searching, groping.

_"I am trying to be different from others of my kind,"_ he insisted. _"I am young, and they think I am foolish for searching here for host bodies. They think the beings that live on earth are fragile, weak, stupid. But you are not! And I see that. You have so much potential, so much depth, and I…I don't want to harm you, Thoori. I truly don't."_

"Then give me my body back." Tears slipped down his cheeks and dripped off Thoori's chin as he squeezed his eyes closed. His left foot moved of its own accord. It barely twisted, but he felt his skin slide against the floor. "Please," he whispered. "Oh, please. Please."

_"I cannot, Thoori. It will kill me."_

"Then stay back there---just sit, and let me alone. Do not move my feet, my eyes, my hands---"

"_I never asked that of you,_" Ra cut in. "_And in fact, the others of my people would never have even asked. I know. They would have taken you, entered you, stripped you of your memories for their own use and locked you in the recesses of your mind, never to think one independent thought again, never to see outside your mind, never to even lift a finger. Not until the moment you died."_

Thoori's breath shuddered. His foot moved again. He frowned down at it.

"What do you want?" he demanded brokenly.

_"I want you to walk back to my chambers and lie down. You are tired."_

Thoori stood listlessly, waiting for Ra to take control. But he did not. Thoori sighed.

"I do not know the way."

There was a long pause.

_"Please?"_ Ra asked quietly. Bowing his head sadly, Thoori murmured back.

"Go forward."

VVV

_"Are you alone?"_

_"What do you mean?"_ Thoori wondered, his eyes drifting wearily across the ceiling.

_"On this planet. Are you alone?"_

_"You saw the rest of my tribe."_

_"Tribe…Is that like a…a nest?"_

Thoori made a face.

"_No."_

_"What is it like?"_

_"I…It's a group of people. Families."_

_"Families…" _Ra repeated.

_"Yes. Like a mother, father, brothers, sisters…"_

_"That is what I meant. Mother, father…Are you alone?"_

Thoori's throat tightened. He shifted on the thinly padded bed.

"Yes," Thoori said out loud, thought quietly. "My parents were killed by another tribe when I was very young."

Ra absorbed that, saying nothing, but Thoori felt a slight prodding in the edges of his mind. Thoori reflexively batted the air in front of his face, and the prodding went away. Thoori sighed.

_"What about you?" _Thoori finally asked, trying to distract Ra from further exploring.

_"I have two nest brothers and one nest sister. Of course, I have thousands of siblings, but those are the closest to me."_

_"Do they have names?"_

_"Apophis, Heru and Hathor."_

_"You have a mother?"_

_"Everything has a mother."_

Thoori lifted his eyebrows, detecting irritation.

_"You don't like your mother."_

_"She made me a blank symbiote,"_ Ra answered shortly. Thoori waited. Ra sighed.

_"Gou'auld have a collective memory that is passed down from parent to symbiote and on and on, so that everyone will remember everything. But the mother can decide not to give that memory to certain of her offspring. It is…insulting."_

Thoori frowned, repulsed.

_"Why would you want to remember _everything_ all your ancestors did?" _Thoori asked distastefully.

_"What?"_

_"Wouldn't that make you…_different_ than you would be otherwise? You would just be an extension of them, instead of yourself. Would you ever even be a child?"_

Ra did not say anything for a long time, and Thoori had the feeling that he was discerning all that Thoori meant by "child."

_"No_,_" _he said softly. _"I do not suppose I would."_

Weariness swelled within Thoori and he wanted to close his eyes to sleep---but his eyes would not obey. Apparently, Ra wanted to converse more. Thoori's hand closed tighter around the pendant.

_"What do you think of me, Thoori?"_ Ra asked hesitantly.

_"What?" _Thoori snapped indignantly. _"You can't read my mind?"_

_"No," _Ra said sincerely. _"I only know my way around your physical self. I am staying away from your thoughts as much as I can."_

_"Then I will tell you_," Thoori growled. _"I think you are a loathsome worm---only insects live in nests and have thousands of siblings---and you have taken me captive and are torturing me, and not even letting me sleep. I hate you."_

A flicker of sorrow reached him, and for once, Ra did not answer. Then, Thoori was filled with an odd, ghostly sensation: it was as if a person lying right next to him had slowly turned over onto his side so his back was to Thoori. Thoori waited, though he was not sure what he was waiting for, but nothing happened. He bit his lip, and turned on his own side, his back to that presence. Silence filled his mind, but not emptiness. He breathed slowly and evenly. It was not cold in here as it was in the desert, and the pad was soft. And then, as his eyes drifted

closed---for the first time since he was a very small boy---Thoori did not fall asleep alone.

TBC


	3. Friend

_Note to well-informed Stargate fans: Certain events are rearranged, and certain parts of the timeline condensed to serve my purposes and fulfill the story arch I have set in place. Please do not become irritated---enjoy it as a slightly bent version of what happened, or a wee bit of AU. Thanks, and enjoy. _

Chapter Three

Friend

Thoori passed the next few days in a haze. He could see vague shapes and movements and hear distant sounds---heat, wind, sand, cold, metal, a brief flash of pain---but clarifying all that took effort, and he did not want to exert it. He wanted to die.

Ra spoke to him once in a while, but he did not answer. Instead, he drew the haze tighter around himself like a cloak. Nothing Ra could say could penetrate that fog.

He dreamed. He dreamed of the day he had gone to sit on the cliff, and come back to find his precious falcons missing. He dreamed of his rage when he learned that the traders had taken them. He dreamed of Jesphet and Hathtet beating him, throwing him into the earth---saw their cruel, mocking faces, felt their strikes, tasted his blood. The dreams faded. The bitterness remained.

And then a pain began in his stomach. It was deep and gaping, and threatened to rattle him out of his numbing reverie.

_"Thoori_," Ra called through the mists. _"You must listen to me. Something is wrong."_

Thoori turned away, clenching shut.

_"Thoori," _Ra grew stern. "_Please."_

Thoori frowned dully. There was an answer to that…

"_Go forward."_

_"No, no, I am already forward,_" Ra said testily.

_"Then what do you want?"_

_"Our stomach," _Ra answered. _"It is in pain."_

_"I haven't eaten_," Thoori muttered.

_"Eaten? What do you eat?"_

Thoori groaned.

_"Think!" _Ra commanded. _"This is unbearable."_

_"Fish?" _Thoori guessed blearily, unable to think of anything else. _"From…the river. Cooked, without scales."_

Ra hesitated, bewildered, then he nodded.

"_All right."_

Thoori's stomach panged again, and he withdrew, shutting himself off from Ra. Time drifted past darkly, uncertainly.

Then he smelled something. It was familiar, strong, hot…

Thoori emerged somewhat. His vision cleared. In front of him at a very low table sat a plate with three fish on top, with their heads and tails still intact, but the scales had been scraped off.

_"All right, how do we go about eating these things?" _

Ra reached Thoori's hands out toward the fish---and promptly scalded Thoori's fingers.

_"Ah!"_ Thoori snapped out of his haze. "_Don't!"_

Ra swiftly withdrew Thoori's hands, shaking them out.

"_You have to wait_," Thoori scolded. _"It has to cool down."_

_"How do I make it cool down faster?"_ Ra wondered, and Thoori could tell he was feeling the full force of hunger as well.

_"Blow on it." _

_"What?"_

_"Ugh," _Thoori grunted in exasperation. _"Please?"_

_"Go forward," _Ra said eagerly. Thoori started, for suddenly he was in command again. He felt weak, shaky and clammy. He formed his trembling lips into the proper shape and blew on the fish. The delicious scent wafted up toward him. He bent, reached down and, cautiously, began picking the white meat off the bone. It burned his fingers, but he held each piece delicately, almost juggling it, while he blew on it until it was cool enough to stick in his mouth. He chewed hurriedly and swallowed, then pulled off more pieces.

In a moment, he felt Ra joining in the effort, blowing on the fish when Thoori forgot, or tearing off just one extra bit.

"Careful of the little bones," Thoori warned around a mouthful, his voice hoarse from disuse.

_"Those are bad?"_

Thoori snorted.

"They could kill me."

_"That would be bad,_" Ra agreed, and actually chuckled---an odd, echoing sensation that tickled Thoori's skull. Thoori found himself smirking briefly before pushing one fish skeleton aside and starting on the next.

"How did you know how to do this?"

Ra hesitated. Thoori stopped chewing. Ra resigned.

_"I dipped into your memory…a little."_

"I thought you were staying away from that." Anger and fear mingled equally inside him.

_"I had to. You were not answering me."_

Thoori threw a fish bone across the room, which he now saw was a perfectly square, dull gray chamber.

_"I was hungry_," Ra tried.

"No," Thoori grumbled. "_I _was hungry."

"_Yes_," Ra agreed.

"What else did you find when you were poking around?" Thoori demanded, stuffing a long strip of meat in his mouth.

_"A dream."_

Thoori swallowed hard, feeling a pain in his throat. He desperately hoped he had not swallowed a bone.

"What dream?" he demanded.

"_I will tell you later. First, finish eating. Then I have something to show you."_

Thoori did not like the sound of that, but he did not have the strength to argue. He finished the second fish, then the third, and at last he felt some warmth and strength enter him again.

He swallowed and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.

_"Please?"_ Ra asked. Thoori let out a thin sigh.

"Go forward."

Ra instantly took the reins, and Thoori felt himself straighten. He stood, turned and walked toward a tall door. Thoori frowned inwardly. Ra's walking was still jerky, but not nearly as hunched and uncertain as before. His arms almost swung in rhythm with his moving feet. Perhaps he had been practicing while Thoori had hidden himself…

Shau'ri's pendant, hanging around his neck, bumped against his breastbone as they strode down a darkened, straight corridor, bare feet slapping ungracefully on the floor. They arrived at the end of the hallway and a door slid open of its own accord, startling Thoori. They stepped inside.

Thoori filled with wonder. His mouth would have fallen open if he had been able to use it.

The room was filled with lengths of cloth---velvet, silk and sheer fabrics of deep, rich blues, purples, reds and golds. Three chests sat open in one corner, and they spilled with jewels. Five knee-high idols stood next to them, covered with hammered gold and silver. And on a short, carved table sat a rectangular board with dark and light squares on it, and little polished wooden spools and pyramids sat haphazardly on the board.

_"Senet?"_ Thoori murmured.

_"Is that its name?" _Ra wondered, moving them toward the board. _"What is it?"_

_"A game," _Thoori answered, staring down at it. _"This is a very beautiful set. Where did you get it?"_

Ra did not answer his question.

_"Will you teach me?" _Ra said instead.

Thoori's mood tightened.

_"Why?"_

_"I am curious."_

_"You know what they say about curiosity."_

_"What?"_

_"It led the cat to its death."_

_"What is a cat?"_

Thoori made an exasperated noise that reverberated through his head.

_"A…little animal. It has four legs, a sort of…triangle shaped face, pointy ears, long tail and short hair and it makes a noise."_

_"What kind of noise?"_

Thoori groaned.

_"No, I want to know,"_ Ra insisted.

_"Meow," _Thoori said reluctantly.

"_And it is a curious animal?"_

"_Very."_

Ra laughed.

_"We must get one!"_

Thoori wanted to roll his eyes. Ra knelt down by the senet board, studying it carefully. He reached out to pick up one of the wooden pyramids. He did this very deliberately, as a small child would.

_"Where does this piece stand?"_

_"Over there."_

_"Where?"_

_"On the right. Far right."_

"_Here?"_

_"Gah!" _Thoori roared in frustration, feeling that bitterness sting his eyes again.

_"Peace, Thoori,"_ Ra said warmly. _"Here_."

And Ra dropped control of Thoori's entire right side. His hand fell and clunked against the table. He snatched control of it and lifted it. He tried to move his left arm. Nothing happened.

_"Now you will use your right half and I will use your left half,"_ Ra proposed.

"This is entirely wrong…" Thoori moaned, feeling nauseated again.

_"Come now," _Ra admonished. _"How many people can say they played senet against themselves?"_

_"Oh, you don't know anything _about_ senet,"_ Thoori said darkly.

_"I can learn,"_ Ra told him. _"You just have to think about how to start the game, and that will open the door for me and I will know everything you know."_

Thoori did not have to say anything---his flash of indignant disbelief was enough.

_"About _senet_,"_ Ra said emphatically. _"Everything you know about _senet._"_

_"No."_

_"Why not?" _

Thoori ground his teeth. It only worked on the right side of his jaw.

_"Only if I get to bathe and put on real clothes. I assume you stole some _clothes_, not just lengths of cloth?"_

_"Stole?" _Ra repeated.

_"I am not ignorant_," Thoori retorted_. _

_"Fine,_" Ra said, dodging the subject. _"You will bathe and get clothes if you teach me how to play senet."_

Thoori hesitated.

_"I just…have to think about how to start the game?"_

_"Yes."_

Warily, Thoori paused, then thought for a moment.

_"Arrange the playing pieces alternately along the board from one to ten…"_

_"Ha! Thoori!" _ Ra cried, and Thoori felt him sweep into an entirely new section of his mind. _"What a marvelous game."_

_"How are we supposed to play if you can cheat?" _Thoori said blackly.

_"Cheat? Cheat how?"_

_"By reading my strategy."_

_"Why would I read your strategy? That is no fun."_

_"Fun?" _Thoori repeated, dumbfounded.

_"What?" _Ra snickered. _"You do not think I believe in fun? I am not much older than you are…relatively speaking."_

_"Heavens above,_" Thoori muttered. Ra laughed.

_"Shall we begin?"_

VVV

Thoori did not know how it happened---indeed, had no idea how it was possible---but he found himself engaged for endless hours in game after game of senet. True to his word, Ra did not cheat. In fact, Thoori beat him several times before Ra had any success. Then, Ra became competitive, and challenged all of Thoori's strategic and inventive skills. Ra was never a bad-tempered loser, however, and thus Thoori felt forced to follow that example when Ra beat him in the last game.

_"I give up_," Thoori finally sighed, tossing down the counting sticks with a clatter.

_"What? We were just getting started," _Ra protested.

_"We have played for hours_," Thoori countered.

_"Yes?"_ Ra did not seem to get the point.

_"I am tired of it."_

_"Oh_." Ra sounded disappointed. Thoori smiled slightly with the right corner of his mouth.

_"Besides that, I have won more times than you have---so I am quitting while I am ahead of you."_

_"Ah, I see!"_ Ra chuckled. Again, it tickled Thoori's whole head. Thoori swallowed, his smile fading. This was an odd moment---he had made a joke to ease Ra's disappointment. Ra did not seem to notice, however.

_"Your imagination astounds me. Such creativity…"_

_"I'm glad I impress you," _Thoori said dryly.

_"You do,_" Ra said sincerely. "_Creativity is not a skill we Gou'auld teach or encourage. Perhaps creativity in battle strategy, but not aesthetic or artistic or…playful. And I am jealous of it."_

Thoori shrugged with one shoulder.

_"My people don't teach or encourage climbing into other people's heads and controlling their bodies."_

Ra was only amused by this.

_"No, there I have you beaten."_

Thoori tried to roll his eyes again but it did not work.

_"If you are tired of senet, I have something more to show you,"_ Ra said, swiftly took control and stood up.

_"Guh!"_ Thoori gasped.

_"Forgive me," _Ra said quickly. _"Please?"_

_"Go forward," _Thoori winced, slightly jarred. Ra turned and they walked from the room, down a hall and toward another door. He slowed.

_"What?" _Thoori wondered. Ra did not answer, but Thoori felt a smile ripple through him. Then, he stepped forward, and the door slid open, and---

His ears were greeted by cheery clucking, fluttering and chirping. Thoori's breath hitched, but Ra's smile spread across his lips.

There, inside a vast chamber filled with rich garments, chests of treasure, cushions and idols, stood a gold stand, and upon it perched three small, bright-eyed falcons: Ithit, Baret and Razeth. 

Thoori choked and hurried forward, absently realizing that Ra had released him fully. He held out his arms and his birds hopped onto them, chirping and plucking at his hair. He bent his elbows and drew his birds closer to his face, laughing tearfully as their wings fluttered against his skin.

"Ra…" His choked throat managed, his brow twisting.

_"They _are_ your birds?" _Ra wanted to confirm. Thoori just swallowed hard, more tears spilling.

_"They were in your dream,"_ Ra told him without being asked. "_As were the traders."_

Thoori laughed out loud, and it rang through the chamber.

"So _that's _where everything came from!"

_"I did not steal it,"_ Ra said firmly. _"At least not right away."_

"What do you mean?" Thoori wondered, rubbing his nose against Ithit's beak.

_"I went after the traders myself. I walked for a long time in the desert, but I found them."_

Thoori went still, listening.

_"I explained to them that the falcons had been stolen from 'me' and that I wanted them back. They said that I had the pendant traded for them, and if I wanted the falcons, I had to give them the pendant. I refused, because I knew the pendant was precious to you. They hit me. You. Us."_

"Where? I don't feel anything," Thoori told him.

_"I have been shielding it from you, but…_" He withdrew slightly, and thudding, aching pain needled up and down the left side of Thoori's face. He winced, fighting not to drop Baret, squeezing his left eye shut. Ra stepped in, and the pain faded away. Thoori's anger remained.

"What happened then?"

_"I told them they did not know who I was, and I captured all of them and their wares, and brought them back to the ship."_

"How did you do that?" Thoori was astonished. Ra smirked.

_"I have my ways. And I am sure you can think of something creative to do with all of…this." _Ra indicated the contents of the room with a lift of Thoori's chin. For a long moment, as he gazed at the full room and then at his birds, Thoori was speechless.

"Thank you…Ra," Thoori finally stammered. "But I…I don't understand. Why?"

_"I told you, Thoori, whether you believe me or not_," Ra said. _"I am your friend."_

Thoori absorbed that, his mind tilting at the thought, but Ithit nibbled at his ear and he laughed, his voice breaking---he never thought he would see them again. And yet here they were. Because of Ra.

"I believe you," Thoori whispered. The wave of Ra's pleasure nearly overwhelmed him.

_"Good! Oh, good,_" he exulted. _"That means I can tell you what else I need to."_

"What?" Thoori wondered.

"_I discovered a bit of a difficulty when I was confronting those traders,_" Ra confessed. _"Before my last host, I possessed an Unas, a large beast-like creature with scales and claws."_

Thoori shivered.

_"It was very easy to intimidate and engage in combat with that body---but this one…"_

Thoori frowned.

"What's wrong with _this one?" _he demanded.

_"We are not tall, Thoori---nor are we muscular or exceptionally strong. Thus, we must undermine your enemy's courage before any blows are exchanged. We must instead _move_ like a smaller beast that still inspires great fear and respect. Everything about our bearing must suggest that we are holding the thunder at bay---and that with the flick of a finger, we may unleash it."_

"What makes you think I have enemies?" Thoori asked suspiciously.

_"Oh, let me think,_" Ra said sarcastically, drawing back again and letting the pain snap across Thoori's face.

"Good point," Thoori grimaced. Ra stepped in again and relieved the pain, but not totally.

_"We will be encountering more enemies besides---my kind are not peaceful or honest or fair-dealing. On the whole, we are ruthless. And if you and I are to survive, we must assure them of our strength."_

"I am supposed to move…like a beast?" Thoori frowned.

_"Yes. I can think of several such creatures…but as you know nothing about them, they would not be helpful." _He paused._ "Can you think of one?"_

"What---that inspires fear and respect?"

_"Yes. Is there a beast _you _fear?"_

"Yes," Thoori murmured, wondering if he wanted to take part in this.

_"What is it?"_

"A cobra."

_"Show me."_

Reluctantly, Thoori thought back to a time when he was younger, when he had been wandering through the woods by the Nile. All of a sudden, a giant snake had rushed out of the undergrowth, hissing terribly, rearing its head and stretching out its fan so that it seemed as tall and as big as the small boy. Its eyes had been intense, piercing and flashing---unblinking and severe, pinning Thoori to the spot. Its regal head had glistened like a crown of obsidian, contrasting with its pale body, and its black tongue had flickered carefully, testing the air. It moved deliberately, slowly, fluidly, alert but unafraid. Its brow bore steady displeasure, but as Thoori stood paralyzed it had seemed to gain some cold, smirking amusement from his fear, and relaxed into a casual coil---but it had not fooled Thoori. Everything about that snake had indicated that if he wished, he could move faster than the crack of a whip, and would pump him full of poison before he could even cry out.

_"Marvelous…_" Ra purred. _"What an exquisite animal. Yes, Thoori, it will do very nicely."_

"What do you have planned?" Thoori demanded.

_"I will tell you in a moment. First, I have another question for you."_

Thoori did not say anything, so Ra went on.

_"If you were the wealthiest man in the planet---how would you look?"_

"Hm?"

_"What would you wear? How would you adorn yourself? Do you ever think of that?"_

Thoori pondered for a long moment.

"I saw a prince, once…"

_"Yes?"_

"He passed by on a yacht on the Nile. He wore no crown, but you could tell he was a prince by the way he held his head." Thoori stroked Razeth's breast. "He wore a sleeveless, flowing robe of white linen, and a wide collar made of gold that covered his shoulders and top of his chest. It glittered in the sun. He wore gold on his fingers too, and bronze on his feet, and a jeweled belt, and long silk wrapped around his waist."

_"Hm," _Ra mused. _"Put the birds on the stand, and go over to the chests. See if there is anything there to your liking."_

Thoori replaced his falcons, moved over to one iron-bound chest, knelt and lifted the lid. Carefully, he pulled out the garments there. He did not find a gold collar, but an ornate, polished leather one, along with leather sandals and a belt. He discovered a long piece of purple velvet that would suffice to wrap around his waist, and at the very bottom, he came across a long, white linen sleeveless robe with a train, and hemmed with gold. It looked almost exactly like that which the prince had worn.

He let the luxurious fabric slide through his fingers, marveling that _he _would ever have a chance to even touch such riches.

_"Through that far door is a bath," _Ra spoke into his thoughts. _"Call me when you are finished, and will see what we can do to make this body more presentable…including that wild hair."_

Thoori arched an eyebrow, but Ra withdrew until Thoori could barely feel him. Biting his lip, glancing back at his birds, he then slung the long garments over his shoulder and headed to the bath.

VVV

Thoori had never bathed in hot water, but after washing in the sometimes-muddy and cold Nile, he definitely preferred it. He scrubbed himself completely, including his hair, in the broad, steaming pool of clear water. The vast room was otherwise blank---four gray walls---and when Thoori climbed, dripping, out of the pool, he found a rug, towel, and a box of ivory brushes and combs on the floor. Swiftly, he dried himself, then wrapped the long purple velvet around his waist, secured it, and tightened the belt over it. He bent down and looked at the ivory combs, running his fingers along them, remembering what Ra had said about his wild hair. He cleared his throat.

"Ra---"

Ra reentered instantly.

_"Hello. Feel better?"_

Thoori just nodded, frowning at the brushes, trying to suppress how eerie Ra's entrance still felt.

"You think my hair is wild?" he said under his breath.

_"It is,_" Ra stated. _"And though I do not know much about Tau'ri hair, I believe that those brushes and combs will only make your head look more completely like a fleef blossom."_

Thoori frowned.

"Tau'ri? And what on earth is a _fleef---_"

_"We have to make it straighter, sleeker,"_ Ra cut in.

"Why?" Thoori wanted to know.

_"The cobra," _Ra reminded him. _"The obsidian crown, and the pale body. The way we look now does not bespeak authority."_

"I thought you did not know much about hair," Thoori said snidely.

_"I am a scientist," _Ra said crisply. _"And I have endeavored to courteously discover and figure many things about you while you were so withdrawn. Will you let me try?"_

Thoori shrugged, then sighed. It shook a little.

"What's stopping you?"

Ra was silent for a long moment.

_"I won't, then," _he said quietly. Thoori bit his lip.

"Why do you want to change the way I look?"

_"I told you."_

"Be more specific."

_"Because we are about to meet someone who is already a threat to you, and is not someone I want to be a threat to me."_

Thoori went cold.

"Who is it?"

Ra paused.

_"His name is Jesphet, son of Ithnu."_

"Jesphet…" Thoori whispered, swallowing. "He is here?"

_"Yes."_

"Why?" Thoori wondered. He felt a slithering, deeply hissing sensation deep down inside somewhere.

_"You will see."_

TBC


	4. Enemy to Brother

_I dug this mummy of a story up from almost the literal dead—all because my brother showed me a video on youtube called something like Tribute to Ra-Stargate-You're Playing With the Big Boys Now. Go check it out. You'll love it. Oh, and if you enjoy the chap, please review so I know maybe one or two people are interested in seeing where this goes. Thanks!:))_

_VVV_

Chapter Four

"_So you think you've got friends in high places  
With the power to put us on the run  
Well, forgive us these smiles on our faces  
You'll know what power is when we are done  
Son..._

_You're playing with the big boys now_  
_Playing with the big boys now_  
_Ev'ry spell and gesture_  
_Tells you who's the best—_

_You're playing with the big boys now."_

_-The Prince of Egypt_

_"Here. Look in the mirror."_

"The mirror?"

_"Quite an advanced invention," _Ra chuckled. _"You gaze into it and see a crystal clear, still reflection of yourself."_

Thoori stepped cautiously toward the "mirror," a tall object that looked almost like a window in the wall. He caught sight of his reflection—and stopped suddenly.

He did not recognize himself. He wore the leather collar, which made his shoulders look broader. Beneath that, the sleeveless linen robe draped down, sweeping behind him and beside him, its hem glimmering, and he wore sandals that wrapped around his feet and legs up to his knees. And his hair hung straight down past his shoulders, like a waterfall of obsidian—like the hood of a cobra. He looked almost as grand as that prince.

Suddenly, his eyes blazed. For an instant, all color in his eyes was consumed by a flash of white. He froze.

"What was that?" he whispered.

_"Forgive me," _Ra said quickly as the flash faded. _"It is a Gou'auld mannerism—one of the only outward displays that we live in here."_

"Why did that happen?" Thoori said breathlessly.

_"Our eyes flash in moments of strong emotion, or for emphasis or intimidation."_

"It would work," Thoori confessed, unsettled.

_"Are you ready to face Jesphet?"_

Nervousness twisted Thoori's gut.

"I am…not sure," he confessed.

_"Would you rather I handle him?"_

"You are planning something," Thoori guessed darkly.

_"I am."_

"Then yes, you should talk to him, and let me do the walking," Thoori said reluctantly. Then, he hesitantly added: "But you have to promise not to let him hit me."

Ra chuckled deeply.

_"He will not have the chance. Trust me."_

Thoori let out a long breath, gazing at his reflection.

"I do," he said—and as he thought back over the fish, and the captured goods, and the return of his three beloved birds—he realized with surprise that he meant it.

VVV

Thoori imagined the cobra. He fought to keep its image before his eyes—its grace, its power, its coldness. But if it had not been for Ra's firm calmness, his feet might have faltered as he entered the vast chair room.

Three lights in the ceiling illuminated the chamber harshly. His sandaled feet padded softly, steadily against the dark stone. His cape rustled and whispered behind him. Ra lifted his right hand, and beckoned with his fingers.

A door slid open.

"_Slower, please_," Ra advised quietly. _"Stop here."_

Thoori did as he asked, and halted. Ra sucked in a deep breath, and lifted his chin—Thoori's attention went still, fixing on the light coming through the far door.

A shadow flashed, then lingered. And then a tall man stumbled through, looking all around him. His panicked breathing echoed against the walls, as did his hasty footsteps. He staggered forward, toward Ra and Thoori—

Then jerked to a stop. No one moved. The man kept gasping, his shoulders heaving.

"Who…Who's there?"

Thoori instantly recognized the man's hoarse voice. It _was _Jesphet. And then, when Jesphet stepped half a pace forward, into a beam of light, he recognized his face—now pale, and covered in sweat.

"Wait…it can't be…" Jesphet stammered, squinting.

Ra did not move or speak. Thoori, unsure, stayed still. Then, a potent mix of distaste and satisfaction swelled up and through him. Ra took a breath. His mouth moved. And he spoke.

"Good day, Jesphet, son of Ithnu."

Thoori's heart jolted. His voice—a deep, rumbling, multi-toned, _terrible_ sound—echoed and slithered through the room, like a tomb door sliding against polished marble.

Jesphet's eyes went wide.

"_Please?" _Ra asked, as if under his breath—and Thoori answered before he thought about it.

"_Go forward_."

Thoori felt his whole frame straighten—and at the same time, liquefy. A smile curled Ra's lips, and he eased fluidly forward, his sandals silent.

"What?" Ra purred—and the tones thudded against Thoori's breastbone. "Do you not recognize this face?"

Jesphet's wide brown eyes stared back at him, a hard line of concentration appearing between his eyebrows. His mouth worked, but no sound came out. He closed his mouth, and swallowed.

"I do," Jesphet finally managed. "But…But it cannot be…"

"Cannot be what?" Ra pressed, pausing directly in front of him, an arm's length away. "The boy whose falcons you stole? Whose head you crushed into the sand?" Ra slowly canted his head. "Whose face you struck—the one you mocked, and called weak and unwanted?"

Gall rose in Thoori's throat—his soul shuddered with a poisonous fury that made him sick. He reflexively tried to clench his fists, but Ra did not stir.

Jesphet's eyes flashed. He took half a step back.

"Thoori?" he realized, his breath hushed.

"Yes, he is here," Ra nodded once. "But so am I."

Jesphet blinked.

"What?"

Ra lifted his chin.

"I am Ra, Supreme System Lord of the Gou'auld," he thrummed. "And now _I_ stand between you and Thoori."

Jesphet's brow twisted. He glanced up and around, then back at the one in front of him.

"I don't understand."

A delicate expression crossed Thoori's face—a slight lift of the right eyebrow, a tiny smirk, a flicker of the eyes.

"You will," Ra said. He swiftly lifted his hand.

Jesphet flinched back.

A thrill of scalding satisfaction shot through Thoori. Jesphet was _afraid of him_.

Ra stood utterly still for a moment. Then, he snapped his fingers.

The noise cracked through the room like a whip.

And something lumbered into the room from off to their right.

Ra lifted their glance toward it. Thoori's triumph drained out of him. His heart froze.

It was a towering, tan-colored, scaly creature—like a walking, short-nosed alligator, its eyes blazing and intelligent, with horns protruding from its chin. It wore a loincloth, and carried a glinting obsidian box in its broad, clawed hands

Jesphet had spun toward the creature—and then his whole body quivered like a reed.

"This is the one," Ra's deadly voice said, lowering his hand and pointing at Jesphet. The massive creature dipped its head and grunted. Then, he lunged toward Jesphet.

Jesphet backpedaled. But he was not fast enough.

The monster grabbed him by the throat. Jesphet strangled, and scrabbled at the mighty paw. Ra's smile increased, swelling through Thoori. Thoori could only watch, baffled.

Then, the monster opened the black box.

A hissing, flashing _thing_ boiled out, snarling and frothing worse than any snake. It darted up from its bed, into the light—

And slammed into the back of Jesphet's head.

"_What is that?" _Thoori screamed, sickening horror flooding him. Ra did not answer.

The black snake creature burrowed into Jesphet's skull. Jesphet writhed in the monster's hold, gagging and wailing, his face contorting.

Then, he went limp.

Thoori jerked.

The monster dropped Jesphet. He crashed to the marble floor and lay, facedown, at Ra's feet.

"_What happened, what happened?" _Thoori yelped, curling in on himself.

"_Be calm," _Ra soothed. _"Nothing worse than what happened to you."_

Thoori wanted to felt the emotional equivalent of a raised eyebrow pulse through him.

"_Does he deserve something better, Thoori?"_

Thoori stared down at the motionless man.

And he remembered what Jesphet and Hathtet had done to him—and what Jesphet would have done to Shau'ri.

He calmed.

Jesphet's finger moved. He took a deep breath. He frowned, uncomfortable.

And Ra knelt down on the floor.

"Brother?" he said, his tone softer. He reached out, and rested his left hand on Jesphet's head. The touch shocked Thoori.

"_Brother?" _he demanded—but again, Ra did not answer.

Jesphet grunted, and shakily pushed himself up off the floor. Ra grabbed hold of both his broad shoulders, helping him up onto his knees.

Jesphet blinked rapidly, and shook his head a couple of times, as if trying to clear it. His hands flailed weakly, and landed on Ra's wrists.

His eyes opened. He squinted, and gazed into Ra's eyes. Thoori stared back.

He did not know him.

"Apophis?" Ra murmured, leaning toward him, searching. The other man blinked. And then his mouth opened.

"Ra…?" he breathed—and his voice carried the same eerie double tone that shook the floors. "I…" He glanced down at himself, letting go of Ra's wrists and pressing his hands to his own chest. He took a deep breath, lifted his head, and his eyes then became equally as searching.

"Such a strange face…" he noted. "Is it truly you?"

"It is," Ra nodded earnestly, tightening his hold on the other man.

The other man's expression cleared, and a reflexive smile crossed his mouth—it seemed to startle him.

"How are you?" Ra pressed. "Your last host was so ill, do you feel…Will you be all right now?"

The other man took another deep breath. And then he nodded again, and met Ra's eyes.

"Yes. Yes, I will."

Ra threw his arms around him, and pulled him tight.

Thoori jolted, his head spinning with blatant, confusing strangeness—

The other man stiffened. Then his arms loosely circled Ra, and he chuckled.

"Is this a Tau'ri mannerism you've picked up, brother?"

Ra also chuckled, backed up and shrugged, grinning.

"I hardly thought about it," he confessed. "So…yes, I believe it is."

_"What is happening?"_ Thoori said numbly, staggered.

_"This is my brother, Apophis," _Ra said distractedly. _"He now lives inside your friend Jesphet, just as I live inside you._"

"I have plans for Osiris, as well," Ra declared out loud to Apophis, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I know he is eager to leave his broken-down old body."

"Over-eager, I would say," Apophis answered. He frowned thoughtfully. "This body feels…weaker," he commented. "It cannot lift as much weight, can it?"

"Ah, but it is much more agile," Ra countered, starting up from the floor quickly. "Easier to heal, much more articulate and expressive. Also, their eyes are better, even if their sense of smell is deficient."

"And they are easier to get into, I must say," Apophis said, rising carefully up from the floor himself. Ra pointed at the beast-creature.

"You," he ordered. "Take my brother to his new quarters and dress him and feed him. Then give the Tau'ri called Hathtet to Osiris—he is waiting."

Again, the beast lowered his head, and stepped up next to the one who was now _Apophis_—not Jesphet. Not Jesphet…

Apophis moved Jesphet's lips into a smile.

"Well done, brother," he commended Ra.

"I will see you soon," Ra promised. Apophis nodded, turned and strode in front of the beast-creature out of the vast chamber, as easily as if he had been doing it all his life. A sliver of suspicion needled through Thoori's chest. But Ra ignored it—and he spun, and began to walk just as surely in the other direction, the silk cape fluttering behind him.

Thoori's thoughts jumbled and bumped together, rendering him speechless for several minutes as Ra wound through countless dim corridors. At last, Thoori latched onto the first concrete objection he could grasp, and stammered it out.

"_You…You can walk just fine!"_

_ "Oh, indeed," _Ra replied, still walking with long, even strides. _"You're a very good teacher, Thoori, I must say."_

_"But…But you…You said you needed my help!"_

_ "I did," _Ra admitted. _"For the first few seconds. After that, I just wanted you to feel useful."_

_ "You lied," _Thoori spat. Ra paused, and blinked.

_"I…Well, perhaps I did,_" Ra confessed, as if the concept was foreign to him. _"A little."_

_"And what about…What about being a Supreme System Lord?" _Thoori demanded as Ra's pace picked up again. _"What is that? I thought you said you were young, that your people didn't believe in you yet!"_

_ "I _am_ young," _Ra insisted, giving a rippling frown. _"I am only two thousand years old—there are many who are older. But I am also the Supreme System Lord, by virtue of a key victory over my nest-traitor, Anubis." _He snarled out the name. _"Ruler in the wake of victory, you might say." _

Thoori felt sick and staggered—the sight of that snake-thing tunneling into Jesphet's head—and realizing that the same thing had happened to _him_—turned his stomach over and over. And Ra was _thousands_ of years old…?

_"So…So is Jesphet…" _he wanted to swallow convulsively, but couldn't. _"Is he…awake? Will your brother speak to him?"_

_ "Oh, I doubt it," _Ra snorted. _"Jesphet is hardly worthy of such consideration. And my brother is less interested in his hosts, less compassionate than I am. But Jesphet is a dog. So is Hathtet."_

Thoori fell silent, his thoughts stumbling. Weakness filtered through him, along with cold despair. Ra suddenly stopped mid stride, and canted his head sharply.

_"Thoori, what is wrong?" _he asked urgently.

_"Am I…" _Thoori choked. _"Am I…Are you through with me?"_

_ "What do you mean?" _Ra asked, his tone genuine.

_"You know everything, now_," Thoori noted. _"You can walk and talk and eat and dress…You don't need me." _He wanted to take a deep breath—he felt faint. _"Are you just going to let me rot, now?"_

Ra laughed. It was a startled, reflexive, but _real _sensation of amusement, and it rang aloud through the air as well as through Thoori's body.

_"What? Of course not!"_

_ "Wh—What then?" _Thoori dared.

_"I need hosts for my family and allies," _Ra told him. Thoori jerked.

_"You're going after the rest of my tribe—?" _he gasped.

_"No!" _Ra cut in. _"No, no." _He started walking with a heavier stride, and lowered his head, glaring. _"I will take the tribe who slaughtered your family when you were a child."_

_ "You know where they are?" _Thoori whispered. Ra shook his head.

_"No. Which is why I need you."_

They rounded a corner, and entered a broad room, with one wide wall that slanted toward them.

_"You want me to tell you where my enemies are, so your people can possess them?" _Thoori wanted to clarify, stunned.

_"Yes, Thoori,_" Ra answered, slowing to a stop. "_And in return…"_

He waved a hand. A deep, metal groaning sounded. Then, the wall began to slide open.

Thoori's eyes instinctively flinched closed against the brilliant light that spilled in through the widening crack. A gust of hot, fresh wind struck him—wind carrying the smell of dust, spices, sunburned grass, and distant rain.

He blinked rapidly, absently feeling Ra pull free of him, like fingers loosening their grip.

And all at once, he stood on his own power. His eyes focused—and he could see.

Before him, through a huge now-open window, stretched a vast countryside—sandy hills in the distance, and a verdant green valley stretched out beneath him, cut through by the flashing silver of a broad, slow-moving, mighty river—all over-arched by a pale blue sky, and bathed in the white-gold of the reigning midday sun.

Warmth rushed over Thoori, tingling his skin, stinging his eyes. He gasped in an unsteady breath, and closed his eyes. A tear spilled down his cheek. He forced his cloudy eyes open and swallowed hard as the faraway chatter of a gull reached his ears.

_"And in return…"_ Ra murmured, like an echo of an afterthought. "_I will give you Egypt."_

To be continued...

_Review!_


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